tampon packaging and disposal systems and methods are disclosed. The packaging has a flexible mitten and an optional attached tampon enclosure. The tampon enclosure can package a tampon and the flexible mitten wraps around the tampon enclosure. When unwrapped, the tampon enclosure is detachable from the mitten and the tampon can be used by a user. The mitten is used for removing the used tampon worn by the user and disposing of the used tampon after removal.
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1. A tampon packaging and disposal system, comprising:
a flexible mitten having a continuously-tapered shape from a first end towards a second end, the first end defining an opening into a hollow interior space of the mitten and the second end being sealed;
a pocket extending away from an exterior surface of the mitten;
a tampon enclosure configured to store a tampon and structured to be selectively detached from the flexible mitten;
a securing element attached to the flexible mitten and structured to seal the opening of the flexible mitten, the securing element including one or more sets of slits that extend through both surfaces of the flexible mitten.
14. A tampon packaging and disposal system, comprising:
a flexible mitten having a first end defining an opening into a hollow interior space of the mitten and a second, sealed end, at least a portion of the flexible mitten having a tapered shape from the first end towards the second end;
a pocket extending away from an exterior surface of the mitten; and
a securing element attached to the flexible mitten and structured to seal the opening of the flexible mitten, the securing element including one or more sets of slits that extend through both surfaces of the flexible mitten,
wherein a thickness of the material of the flexible mitten and the pocket is 0.8 millimeters or less.
16. A method of manufacturing a mitten for packaging and disposing of a tampon, comprising:
providing a flexible mitten having a continuously-tapered shape from a first end towards a second end, the first end defining an opening into a hollow interior space of the mitten and the second end being sealed;
providing a pocket on the flexible mitten, the pocket extending away from an exterior surface of the flexible mitten;
attaching a detachably attached tampon enclosure to the flexible mitten, the tampon enclosure configured to store a tampon;
providing a securing element attached to the flexible mitten and structured to seal the opening of the flexible mitten, the securing element including one or more sets of slits that extend through both surfaces of the flexible mitten.
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This application claims priority to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/214,059, filed Mar. 14, 2014, and to PCT/US2014/029377, also filed Mar. 14, 2014, which are both herein incorporated by referenced in their entirety.
Many women worldwide use tampons during menstruation to help control or stop bleeding. The international medical community also uses tampons to help in medical applications like stopping or reducing bleeding from a bullet wound. Tampons are undeniably a part of modern culture and have grown to be a common household product with a large consumer base.
Because tampons absorb bodily fluids like blood and vaginal discharge, their use, removal, and disposal presents sanitary and other toxic exposure and disposal challenges. Tampons for personal use are oftentimes used and discarded in a private, unregulated setting, like a restroom at a business, which creates a situation that is ripe for exposure of the bodily fluids to people other than the tampon user and is also ripe for exposure of the bodily fluids to the tampon user herself.
Generally, tampons are currently available in a few forms—with and without a tube-in-tube style applicator. Regardless of the form, tampons are packaged in a disposable wrapper that, once opened, is no longer usable for any particular purpose and is promptly discarded. The current tampon wrappers provide a container for storing the tampon but serve no other purpose.
Frequently, the tampon user has to first remove the existing, used tampon before placing the new, fresh tampon. To do so, she uses her hand and usually extracts the tampon by gently pulling a string attached to the distal end of the tampon or pulls on the tampon itself. The tampon strings and the tampons can be difficult to grip especially if they are soaked in bodily fluids. Oftentimes during the extraction process, the tampon user comes into direct contact with her bodily fluids and also exposes her sensitive vaginal area to any contaminants that might be on her hands. Further, she discards the used tampon along with any other materials she might use to help remove the tampon, such as toilet paper or other paper products, in a nearby trash receptacle of some kind. For those tampons with applicators, the applicators are also discarded after being placed and they too are contaminated with bodily fluids.
The removal and disposal of tampons creates a sanitary and hygienic problem. The tampon users often have difficulty gripping the tampon or the tampon string to remove it. The tampon users and others are exposed to bodily fluids when they discard tampons in an uncontrolled environment like a restroom. During the extraction process, bodily fluids sometimes soil the tampon user's clothing or other items. The used tampons can create a foul odor and a toxic environment for those people who are tasked with cleaning the trash receptacles. Tampon packaging is not recycled or reused for any purpose and creates waste.
Therefore, there is a need in the art of tampon packaging to create a multi-purpose, sanitary, easy-to-use, cost-efficient packaging that has a low manufacturing cost.
Aspects of the disclosure include tampon packaging and disposal systems that have a flexible mitten and a pocket along with a tampon enclosure. The flexible mitten has a continuous-tapered shape from a first end towards a second end. The first end of the flexible mitten defines an opening into a hollow interior space of the mitten. The second end of the mitten is sealed. The pocket extends away from an exterior surface of the mitten. The tampon enclosure is configured to store a tampon and is structured to be selectively detachable from the flexible mitten.
In other aspects of the disclosure, the tampon packaging and disposal systems include a flexible mitten and a pocket. The thickness of the material of the flexible mitten and the pocket can be 0.8 millimeters or less. The flexible mitten has a first end that defines an opening into a hollow interior space of the mitten. The flexible mitten also has a second end that is sealed. At least a portion of the flexible mitten has a tapered shape from the first end towards the second end of the mitten.
In still other aspects of the disclosure, methods of manufacturing a mitten for packaging and disposing tampons include providing a flexible mitten and a pocket on the flexible mitten. The flexible mitten has a continuously-tapered shape from a first end of the mitten towards a second end of the mitten. The first end of the mitten defines an opening into a hollow interior space of the mitten and the second end of the mitten is sealed. The pocket extends away from an exterior surface of the flexible mitten. The methods of manufacturing also include attaching a detachably attached tampon enclosure to the flexible mitten. The tampon enclosure is configured to store a tampon.
Tampon packaging and disposal systems and methods of using and manufacturing the disclosed systems offer a multi-purpose, cost-efficient tampon packaging that allows users to remove, contain, and discard used tampons and, optionally, a tampon applicator. The tampon packaging and disposal systems also store new tampons, in some examples. The packaging is lightweight and creates a more sanitary option for using and discarding tampons than conventional methods. The disclosed methods and systems provide a flexible mitten with a detachable tampon enclosure, the tampon can be stored in the enclosure and the user can remove the tampon stored in the enclosure and use the mitten for removal of and discarding the used tampon after use. The flexible mitten is thin and is rolled around the tampon enclosure so the combined package includes the tampon and the flexible mitten. The combined package of the tampon enclosure and the flexible mitten serves multiple purposes including helping the user to remove the used tampon and to provide a container for disposing of the used tampon and the applicator for the new tampon, if inserting a new tampon, all in a sanitary, efficient manner.
The material used to manufacture the flexible mitten is kept at a minimum and shaped in a way to prevent bunching of material around the user's fingertips during use and also keeps manufacturing costs low. The flexible mitten being rolled around the new tampon during storage also helps protect the new tampon from damage during storage. When the flexible mitten is rolled around the new tampon, it can be stored in the conventional exterior packaging for tampons that do not have a flexible mitten. The flexible mitten is versatile and easy to incorporate into current manufacturing techniques for tampon packaging.
I. The Tampon Packaging and Disposal System
In the example mitten 102 shown in
The tampon packaging and disposal system 100 has a pocket 104 that extends away from an exterior surface 118 of the mitten 102. The pocket 104 can accommodate a user's thumb when the user's hand is inserted into the mitten 102. When the user's hand is inserted into the mitten 102, the user is able to grip objects, such as tampons, between her fingertips positioned near the second, sealed end 110 of the mitten 102 and her thumb positioned in the pocket 104.
The tampon packaging and disposal system 100 shown in
a. The Flexible Mitten
The flexible mitten 102 has a continuously-tapered shape, which means that the least amount material is needed at the sealed, second end 110 of the mitten 102. When a user inserts her hand into the mitten 102 and the user's fingertips are positioned at or near the second end 110 of the mitten 102, the mitten 102 accommodates the user's fingertips but the material does not bunch at the user's fingertips. The material is prevented from bunching at the user's fingertips during use because of the continuously-tapered shape of the mitten.
The continuously-tapered shape tracks the general outline of a user's hand when the user's hand is in an outstretched, flat position with fingers extended away from the user's wrist and the user's thumb tucked next to the palm of the user's hand. In this outstretched position, the flexible mitten is generally laying flat, although it is not tightly fitted around the user's hand (in the mitten) and thumb (in the pocket). Rather, the mitten and pocket fit somewhat loosely around the user's hand. The second, sealed end surrounds the user's fingertips with a curved shape to prevent excess material from gathering around the user's fingertips.
When a user has her hand inserted into the flexible mitten and moves her fingertips and thumb from the outstretched position together to grip an object, the flexible mitten contracts and, as a result, material gathers at her fingertips, among other places in the mitten. To keep the material gathering to a minimum, especially near the fingertips, the flexible mitten contracts along its continuously-tapered shape along the outline of the user's hand. While some material may still gather along the outline of the user's hand, as would happen anytime a mitten of any shape would contract, the continuously-tapered shape causes a more even gathering of material along the outline of the user's hand and prevents large bulk of material from gathering at any one or more points along the mitten than would non-tapered shape of any kind. For example, a square shaped mitten would cause a large gather of material at the distal corners of the mitten when the user contracted her hand, which would interfere with the user's ability to grip objects like a used tampon and/or a new tampon.
The continuously-tapered shape reduces, although may not eliminate, areas of bulky gatherings of material along the mitten when it contracts. The continuously-tapered shape can also produce a more uniform gathering of material along the outline of the user's hand rather than causing areas of bulky material gathering, such as the gathering of material in the square-shaped mitten discussed above. Specifically, the continuously-tapered shape of the mitten in the example system shown in
For example, when the user contracts her hand within the mitten, the mitten material may slide along the outline of the user's hand, which is along the continuously-tapered, curved shape of the mitten shown in
In some examples, such as the tampon packaging and disposal system 100 shown in
As shown in
In other examples, such as the example shown in
b. The Pocket
Referring again to
When the user inserts her hand into the mitten 102, she positions her thumb within the pocket 104. Similar to the material gathering that is discussed above when the flexible mitten 102 contracts, the pocket 104 also contracts during use. In the example shown in
Similar to the benefits of the continuously-tapered shape discussed above for the flexible mitten, the minimization of the material gathering improves the user's ability to grip objects with her thumb. When both the flexible mitten and the pocket are continuously-tapered and the gathering of material is minimized by the shape, the user is able to grip objects between her fingertips and thumb with little interference from the material gathering that inevitably happens when the user contracts her hand and the mitten with it.
The pocket 104 is positioned in a central portion 124 of the flexible mitten 102 in the example shown in
As discussed above, the pocket 104 extends away from the flexible mitten 102 about midway across the width 112 of the flexible mitten 102 in the example shown in
c. The Tampon Enclosure
The tampon enclosure can be detachably attached to the flexible mitten in any suitable way including adhesives, hook and loop fasteners, and/or any other attachment element. In alternative examples, the tampon enclosure is not attached to the flexible mitten, but, rather, the flexible mitten is wrapped or rolled around the perimeter surface of the tampon enclosure when packaged and can be unrolled or unwrapped when the user wishes to use the flexible mitten and/or remove the new tampon from the tampon enclosure.
II. Examples of the Tampon Packaging and Disposal Methods
Turning now to
The exterior packaging 202 shown in
Because the flexible mitten 102 has a hollow interior, the set of slits 128 extend through both surfaces of the flexible mitten 102. When the user's hand is inserted into the mitten 102, the two surfaces of the flexible mitten extend away from each other to accommodate the user's hand and the set of slits 128 are positioned approximately over the proximal end of the user's hand and/or the user's wrist directly across from each other on opposing sides. The set of slits 128 are shaped to accommodate the second end of the twisted, reversed out mitten when the used tampon is threaded through the set of slits 128 to secure the system closed, as described further below.
The example tampon packaging and disposal system 600 shown in
The reversing out process is facilitated by the continuously-tapered shape of the mitten. As the user draws the first end back over the mitten towards the second end in the reversing out process, the width of the mitten becomes continuously smaller because of the continuously-tapered shape. The continuously smaller width of the mitten as the first end is reversed out back over mitten towards the second end continuously causes the width of the drawn end—the first end and subsequently the middle portion of the mitten—to be greater than the width of the mitten being drawn through the first end.
Because the width of the drawn end is always greater than the width of the end being drawn through the first end, the mitten easily glides over itself during the reversing out process. The continuously-tapered shape always causes a portion of the mitten being drawn over another portion of the mitten during the reversing out process to have a greater diameter being drawn over a smaller diameter. At no point during the reversing out process is the user required to draw a portion of the mitten with a smaller diameter over a portion of the mitten with a larger diameter—the reversing out process is continually going from larger diameter towards smaller diameter because of the continuously-tapered shape.
The set of slits 908 shown in the example mitten shown in
For example, the second end 912 of the mitten 904 is threaded through the set of slits 908 in
III. Methods of Manufacturing Tampon Packaging and Disposal Systems
Any of the above example tampon packaging and disposal systems can be manufactured using conventional manufacturing techniques and without a significant increase in either materials or cost to manufacture as compared to the conventionally made tampon packaging. The continuously-tapered shape of the mitten provides an efficient manner in which to manufacture the mitten by keeping the material to a minimum while still providing the sanitary protection over the user's hand in a functional way and reducing the likelihood that the material gathers into a bulk when the user is contracting and flexing the mitten during use. The amount of material needed to manufacture the mitten is kept at a minimum because the continuously-tapered shape of the mitten extends along the outline of the user's hand rather than in a square or other alternative shape that has excess material that is not a functional part of the tampon packaging and disposal system.
For example, two sheets of flexible material are placed over each other and one end and the edges are sealed in the continuously-tapered shape, as shown in the examples in
Once the mitten is formed, the tampon enclosure can optionally be attached to the first end of the mitten, which seals the opening in a closed position at the first end. The seam between the first end of the mitten and the tampon enclosure is sealed and a perforated edge, a notch, or other mechanism for easily separating the tampon enclosure from the mitten can be created after it is attached to the mitten. Still further, a set of slits or multiple sets of slits can be optionally stamped or cut through the first and second sheets of flexible material on the mitten to form the slit-style securing elements discussed above.
The tampon packaging and disposal systems are then optionally packaged in an exterior packaging for distribution, storage, and/or protection. The exterior packaging is oftentimes flexible although it can be any suitable material. Because the mitten is flexible, it can be rolled or wrapped around the perimeter surface of the tampon enclosure in a relatively fitted, tight arrangement so that the flexible mitten is not creating excess bulk around the perimeter of the tampon enclosure. Once the mitten is tightly rolled against the perimeter surface of the tampon enclosure, the diameter profile of the tampon packaging and disposal system is only slightly greater than the diameter of a tampon enclosure by itself.
For example, the thickness of the mitten is 0.8 millimeters (mm) or less and would likely be rolled around the tampon enclosure two or three times, which increases the diameter of the tampon packaging and disposal system approximately 1.6 mm to 2.4 mm. The increased diameter of approximately 1.6 mm to 2.4 mm in this example can fit within the conventional exterior packaging for a tampon.
During the manufacturing process, the sheets that form the mitten are sealed together either by a heat or light sealing process(es), adhesive(s), bond(s), fusing, or any other manner in which to seal the sheets together. Further, the manner in which the tampon enclosure is attached to the mitten can be any suitable manner including having two sheets sealed to form both the mitten and the tampon enclosure in the same sealing process. In this example, the pocket is added and the perforated edge formed at the seal between the mitten and the tampon enclosure is stamped after it has been sealed. As discussed above, the sealing of the mitten in the continuously-tapered shape allows for the excess material to be reused or otherwise recycled, which keeps materials to a minimum and keeps manufacturing costs low.
IV. Materials and Other Features of the Tampon Packaging and Disposal Systems
Any of the above example tampon packaging and disposal systems can include one or more flexible materials, such as any suitable polymer(s). For example, the sheets that form the flexible mitten can be a thin polymer, such as polyethylene, non-polyethylene, and/or polylactic acid based plastics. The thickness of the sheets used to form the mitten can be 0.8 mm, in some examples, or less, which, in flexible polymer material(s) facilitates the sheets of the mitten to be rolled or wrapped around an object, like the tampon contained in the tampon enclosure in the above-discussed example systems. Other thicknesses for the sheets of material(s) forming the mitten can also be used and the thickness of the sheets may or may not be uniform throughout the sheet. For example, the thickness of the sheet could be greater where the first end of the mitten is to be formed to provide the user with some additional thickness with which to grip the mitten during the reversing out process.
The material(s) used to form the mitten are fluid impermeable in some examples, meaning that they are capable of containing fluids, such as bodily fluids, and objects, like a used tampon and/or the applicator for the new tampon, if the user chooses to insert a new tampon at that time. The fluid impermeable material(s) prevent fluid exchange across the material to the exterior of the mitten when the used tampon(s) and/or used applicator(s) are contained within the reversed out mitten. The material(s) provide a barrier for the fluid to escape and thus prevent exposure to the bodily fluids contained in the mitten. Alternatively, the material(s) selected for the mitten can be semi-fluid-impermeable rather than fluid impermeable.
The material(s) used to form the disclosed tampon packaging and disposal systems can also be biodegradable. The selected material(s) may also have some elastic properties to endure contact with objects during storage and transport. Still further, one or more surfaces or a portion of the surfaces of the mitten can be lined with a deodorizing or scent-neutralizing coating or liner that helps to reduce or eliminate scents produced by any contents contained in the mitten or from its surroundings. An anti-septic coating can be added to any of the surfaces of the mitten as well.
The dimensions of the mitten can be approximately six (6) inches wide by approximately nine (9) inches long with the pocket being approximately one (1) inch wide by six (6) inches long, in some examples. Other mittens vary in any of these dimensions. The mittens may also be formed in multiple sizes associated with common groups of different sized users, such as small, medium, and large sizes that correlate to users with generally small, medium, and large sized hands compared to the general population.
The disclosed tampon packaging and disposal systems can be packaged together with multiple systems included in a single kit or they can be packaged separately. Any suitable type of tampon can be included in the tampon enclosure. The color of the mitten can be any suitable color and/or transparency. In some examples, the mitten is a dark, opaque color that helps to discretely discard of the used tampon and/or applicator.
The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be used for realizing the invention in diverse forms thereof.
Ketterer, Scott, Thompson, Carrie
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